Hall’s present to himself? Sectional shut out

What better way to celebrate a birthday than to throw a shut out? That’s what Ian Hall did Friday as the El Paso-Gridley junior celebrated his natal anniversary by giving a special present to himself and his teammates — a spot in the championship game of the Class 2A Seneca Sectional baseball tournament. Hall tossed a four-hitter against Palos Heights Chicago Christian and the Titans moved on with 2-0 victory. The win places EPG in today’s final against upstart Beecher. The first pitch is set for 11 a.m. The first thing Hall did in working at securing the victory was to smoke a two-base hit to left-center with two outs in the first inning. Austin Hendren drew a walk and Drew Boring delivered a solid single to center that plated Hall from second base. It gave EPG a 1-0 lead before he even took the mound. “We were playing for one run an inning; try to build on something,” EPG head coach Ken Colmone said. “Once we get a lead with Ian, we’re in pretty good shape. Anytime you get on top with Ian pitching, nothing but good things happen.” Even though Hall appeared to struggle just a wee bit in the early going, he was pretty much in control from start to finish. The key was pitch selection. “We got some emails saying they like to hit fastballs so we started throwing a lot of junk,” EPG catcher Hendren said. “They started making the adjustments and that’s when we started throwing fastballs. I can’t say enough about him, he’s a phenomenal pitcher.” Hall struck out the first batter he faced but Dylan Marinec reached on a wild pitch on the third strike. A grounder to shortstop Brady McWilliams turned into a double play. A base hit followed but another grounder to McWilliams ended the inning. The Knights got the first two runners on base to start the bottom of the second but a strikeout and a double play ended the threat. El Paso-Gridley turned one more double play when second baseman Tanner Benedict redeemed himself for one error by fielding a grounder on the next play, tagging the runner and throwing out the batter. Benedict booted the next play but Hall fanned Max Kerfin to get out the fourth inning. “We got them down a little bit, we made them do some things I don’t they wanted to do and they struggled hitting Ian,” Colmone said. Hall said he found his groove after the third inning. “I was spotting my fastball,” Hall said. “The ump liked it down low and that’s where I like to throw it.” Hall was working with a 2-0 lead from the second inning on. The Titans took advantage a walk, a hit batsman and an error to push across the insurance tally. Benedict and Taylor Augsburger struck out before Josh Matzke walked and Jordan Matzke was beaned. Christian catcher Kerfin had a passed ball that allowed Josh Matzke to try to take third base. The throw bounced away from Ryan Bielecki and Matzke hustled home, sliding in ahead of Kerfin’s tag. “We did things that we typically have not done,” Brauer said. “We didn’t play a very clean game.” Christian pitcher Josh Novak created his own problems with five walks and hitting two batters. His defense did not help with three errors and missed chances by not catching foul balls. The biggest thing that was in EPG’s favor was Hall and his ability to get the curveball and the fastball over when he needed to. He was able to keep the Knights off balance all game. “We liked to throw breaking balls but they seemed to hit those in the first couple of innings so went to my fastball more,” Hall said. “When I started to mix things up they couldn’t do much.” Christian managed one hit in each of the first three innings. Hall gave up just one — a one-single courtesy of catcher’s interference in the fifth frame — the rest of the way. “He feels comfortable throwing one pitch or another,” Colmone said. “One pitch usually works well and the other builds on it. I was good with anything he wanted to throw.” The Titans didn’t get a lot of offense off Novak, who yielded just three hits before being lifted after hitting Jordan Matzke and walking McWilliams to open the seventh. Fortunately, Hall’s dominance and two early runs were enough. Hall finished with eight strikeouts while walking one and hitting one batter. Only two outs were recorded by the outfield, including the final out of the game — a lazy fly ball to centerfielder Boring. Hall also ran his scoreless streak to 15 innings in the postseason. “It’s the first time we’ve been shut out this year so you have to tip your cap to the pitcher on the other team,” Brauer said, whose team ends it season at 30-8. “He was mixing his pitches like a good pitcher does. The kid pitched a great ballgame.” Hall doubled while Augsburger and Boring each singled for the Titans (21-3). The winner of today’s title game will face champion of the Benedictine Sectional in Lisle — Lisle or Chicago Noble Street Charter/Rauner — at the Benedictine Supersectional on Monday.